Fortuna Exulis
by BoyWhoRunsWithWolves
Summary: After the end of the war, in light of his unrepentant ways of happily killing those who took his loved ones from him, the Ministry tries Harry for murder and for being the next dark lord. A ritual banishment meant to send him to his own private version of hell is tweaked just a little and the result is... a fortunate exile.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Fortuna Exulis  
**Fandoms:** Riddick (2013)/Harry Potter  
**Pairing:** Richard B. Riddick/Harry Potter  
**Rating:** Teen (for now)  
**Warnings:** AU, mPreg, Mating, Bonding, D/s, Bloodplay, Violence, Language, Character Deaths (Minor), Character Bashing, Grey!Harry, Moral Ambiguity, Pregnant Harry, BAMF Harry Potter, BAMF Riddick, Protective Riddick, Companionable Snark, Domestic Fluff, Light Angst, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Protective Harry  
**Spoilers:** HP spoilers for books 1-5 and goes AU after that. General spoilers for the entire Riddick series to be safe.

**Notes: **The Harry in this story isn't quite like canon!Harry (though I like to think that canon!Harry could have grown into my Harry if given the chance)... my Harry is a bit grey with darker leanings, a vicious temper when those he loves are threatened and is morally ambiguous. He's the perfect match for the BAMF anti-hero that we all know and love.

I'm not sure how quickly I will update this story, so don't hold your breath until the next update... because it could be anywhere from a few days to a few weeks (months). I'm hoping my muse lights a fire under my ass and we all benefit from it. :-p

* * *

Pompous voices droned on continuously, the voices spoke words like "dangerous", "violent", "disappointment", "liability" and "for the greater good" as their owners handed down judgment on the accused. The courtroom was filled to the brim with people, all sitting on the edge of their seats waiting with bated breath. There were those looking for a quote to print or those who sat with a sense of glee at being present for the trial of the century. There were those who sat with watery eyes and shamed faces, purposely looking anywhere but at the man who they had forsaken. And then there were those who sat self-righteous and glaring, passing down judgment right along with the court who arrogantly awarded punishment to a young man who had held all of their fate's in his hand not weeks before.

In the midst of it all, a silent young man sat with his head down, still as a stone as he was sentenced to having his magic bound and his body banished… "and may the gods have mercy on your soul."

Harry lifted his head, the first time since the mockery of a trial had begun and stared up at the pompous windbag who had spoken those words. The man, the newly appointed Minister of Magic, squirmed as he met Harry's unflinching eyes before sucking in a breath and puffing out his chest in mock righteousness.

"Harry Potter, do you have any words before judgment is passed?"

Letting his eyes roam around the room, Harry stopped at the sight to his left. The Weasley family sat in the stands all but a few looking down their noses at Harry, looked back at him with anger and disappointment, judgment, in their eyes. Mrs. Weasley's eyes were red and watery, a handkerchief gripped tightly in her hand as she cried the loss of the sweet little boy who had turned out so wrong. Mr. Weasley had a look of failing in his eyes as he shook his head at Harry and turned away from his searching eyes. George looked lost as he met Harry's stare, he had been the only one to stay on his side throughout the trial, to not label him a vicious and dangerous killer... but with the loss of Fred, his twin and half of his soul, George's zest for life and his magic was merely a shade of what it used to be. Percy and Ron had varying looks of anger and disgust on their faces, neither of them had an ounce of pity or love in their eyes as they met his stare. And, Ginny, she had a look of anger mixed with disappointment on her face; her ticket to a better life and the title of Lady Potter ripped from her greedy grasp.

The sight of them all wasn't new; they had all worn similar looks throughout the trial, as Harry's misdeeds were recounted to the courtroom. Every death at his hand, every moment that he'd waited too long to act, every instance of "instability" on his part, was nitpicked with a fine tooth comb over the course of weeks. They had talked about his vicious kills during the war, of his near gleeful hunting of the people who had killed his loved ones, of his lack of remorse for the violent deaths he meted out to the opposing side of the war.

All of it was true, Harry had never denied it. Every death at his hand had been efficient, swift and most definitely bloody; he had gladly killed Voldemort's followers for the atrocities they had taken part in. The two heaviest charges against him were for the murder of Bellatrix Lestrange and Voldemort. He thought it was laughable at how ridiculous it was for the Ministry to charge him for their deaths when the previous Minister himself had laid the task of winning the war solely at Harry's feet, with a "by any means necessary" speech.

He had won the war for these bloody people and this was the thanks he received for it?

"What more is there to say than every last one of you is cracked if you think that I feel guilt for what I did. I won your war for you while you sat comfortably in your homes or in your cushy chairs at the Ministry… while people lay dying and broken because of your inability to stand up and fight for your own lives. I was so happy to enter the magical world when I was eleven; it was like a dream come true… everything so wonderful and fantastical… filled with magic. But that happiness quickly faded when I realized how corrupt and stagnant you people are. You're so willing to stick with the status quo… letting barmy ideas like blood purity and social status direct the lives of millions, letting countless people and magical creatures be oppressed because you are unwilling to fight for a better world."

Harry's voice rang out in the crowded room, not a single sound could be heard but the echo of his voice on the stone walls of the Ministry court room as he spoke. He looked at each of the Ministry officials, at the crowd, at the Weasleys, but each of them flinched and looked the other way when he tried to meet their eyes.

"I did what I had to do to win this war and any guilt I feel now isn't for those who lives I took… they deserved every vicious spell I killed them with… no, the guilt I feel is for those who fought along with me and who gave their lives for nothing, they gave their lives for all of you and the world's still going to be the same. Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Remus Lupin, Hermione Granger and so much more... those are the people I feel sorry for; they gave their lives so that you all could be safe and this is the result of their sacrifice. You can blame Voldemort all you like for this war, but you all brought it on yourselves… for your inability to stand up for what's right instead of what is easy or what someone else tells you is the way things should be."

The silence after he stopped speaking was like a roaring silence, the drop of a pin could be heard in the stillness left behind.

"Very well, you're last words have been recorded." The Minister for Magic spoke at last. "Harry James Potter, you are found guilty of 37 heinous acts of murder during the Second Magical War and for suspicion of pooling power to take the place as the next dark lord. You are hereby sentenced to having your magic bound and banishment from our world, Aurors do your duty."

Harry watched with an impassive eye as six Aurors came towards him, wands at the ready. Even with his wand no longer available to him, he felt his magic spike as the threat moved closer to him, getting ready to be available for Harry to protect himself should he have need of it. It amazed him that for all that the magical world knew about magic they were stupid when it came to recognizing when a being more powerful than themselves was right in front of them.

Four Aurors stood by with their wands drawn as two began to weave a complicated spell to bind Harry's magic. It was complex and took the better part of a half hour, Harry felt the tickle of the spell trying to do its work, but each time the spell tried to close off magical pathways in his body his magic buffeted against the spell and found other ways of letting the magic flow. As the Aurors progressed he could see as they got more frustrated and scared as they worked, truly beginning to understand the insurmountable odds they were up against. Though Harry hadn't made any effort to hide his true magical power, he hadn't broadcasted it either and so he knew that most of the magical world was completely unaware of his true well of magic. Finally, the two Aurors stepped back and whispered to the Minister in a heated exchange.

Harry smirked when the Minister straightened up very quickly at no doubt hearing that he was too powerful to have his magic bound, that only Dumbledore or Merlin himself could have had the power to bind Harry's magic... if that. More words were exchanged and within a few seconds 15 more Aurors came running into the court room and surrounded Harry where he sat placidly in the center of the room.

"Very well, it seems that your magic will not be bound… this makes no difference, for where you're going magic will make no difference. Aurors, begin the banishment ritual."

The same two Aurors who tried the binding spell began setting up the banishment ritual on the floor around Harry's chair. A complicated mix of a pentagram and runes were written in blood on the marble floor of the courtroom, weaving the spell. It was an old traditional banishment spell that relied on not only the magic of those casting the spell, but the magic of the one who would be banished as well. It drew the power from those involved in it and created a unique banishment that found the perfect time and space to send the one being banished that would be tantamount to their own private hell. It relied on the thoughts, feelings, emotions and fears of the banished to find this "hell" and therefore was considered the worst banishment ritual to have ever been created… lucky for Harry.

It's a funny thing though… how magic can be influenced, how it can be swayed to favor one in the face of others. For Harry Potter, Fate held sway over magic and with just a few… tweaks… the banishment spell that would have been Hell turned out to be something Harry had always needed and wanted instead.

As the pre-ritual arrangements came to a close the Aurors stepped back and nodded to the Minister that the ritual was ready.

"Let it be known that today we banish Harry James Potter for crimes against magic, against country and against humanity. Let this banishment be forever remembered as the price he paid for turning to the dark, letting his baser instincts direct his actions rather than letting morality and civility be his guide."

As the Minister's voice echoed in the large courtroom, the Minister nodded at the lead Auror and stood back as the man intoned the final part of the spell in Latin… banishing Harry James Potter from space and time.


	2. Chapter 2

There was a time not too long ago that the animal inside him was little more than a feral beast, snapping at the loose reins that held it and running free with wild abandon. That's the way he liked it, it was who he was... a Furyan. Instinct, anger, determination and stubbornness drove him on in a world that had little value for an orphaned kid (turned adult) whose own parents saw fit to throw away. For years Riddick let the animal inside him roam with abandon, doing what he liked, when he liked and with whoever he liked (those few and far between).

Then came the Necromonger's, and though they probably didn't realize it at the time, they tamed the feral beast and put him on a chain without him even realizing it. For a while Riddick was unaware of the change in himself until he became complacent, neutered in everything but deed by his obligations of being their hallowed Lord Marshall... that's when the ground beneath his feet was literally blown out from under him and the feral beast in him was reawakened.

He was actually a little thankful for it, if he was being honest. Oh sure, he'd make them rue the day they ever met him, bathe in their blood and viciously send them all to their Underverse before their due time, but he'd give them a word of thanks (in his own bloody way) for releasing the beast once again because of their treacherous ways.

When the dust settled and the backstabbing Necros lit off of the barren planet, Riddick found himself coming to under a mountain of rubble, his fingers being pecked to death by a scavenger come to peel the meat from his bones. With a quick wring of the neck the bird was dead and Riddick pulled himself out from under the rocks, a grunt of pain was the only thing he let loose as his body screamed in pain. A busted tibia, sticking out of the skin, a knock to the head and a body filled with cuts and bruises... but he was alive and kicking... no thanks to those Necro bastards.

The planet reminded him a little too much of Hades; brutally bright, scorchingly hot, very little life and devoid of anything that would help him get off this fuckin' rock.

After a tussle with a would-be dog that saw him as it's next meal, Riddick wandered until he'd come across a tall rock formation that promised a little clean water in a place that seemed to be nothing but toxic piss. Of course the promised water brought with it more of those would-be dogs, hot on his trail, and a revelation of a bigger predator... something that came from the deep, murky water to paralyze it's victim and drag it to the deep to be eaten.

Got away... but, only just.

There are bad days... and then there are legendary bad days. Seems like the whole planet's out to get him.

Wandering the desert wasn't his cup of tea, too little profit for a whole day's worth of trouble... but at the end of it Riddick found an old temple that was long abandoned. Crumbling carved rock and pillars that wasn't exactly creature comforts, but they'd do. He toppled a pillar over a hole in the ground, probably some water fountain millennia ago, but now it'd serve as his secure bed for a little while.

As he laid in the hole, the bright world outside shut out for a little while, Riddick thought about the feral animal inside and what happened to cage it. Shoulda' seen it coming, for Necros death is their business... shoulda' seen it coming.

* * *

The thing that Harry noticed first was a feeling of nothingness around him... a lack of air (though it didn't bother him), a lack of movement... a lack of anything. However, all too soon before he could really contemplate where he was or what was truly happening, he returned to the world with a sudden "ooof" as he collided with something warm and hard in the dark.

From one moment to the next, Harry found himself flipped and held down by a large body, hot breath ghosted against his face and a gravely voice spoke.

"Who the fuck are you and how did you get in here?"

The voice made him shiver, it was dark and devilish... promising a good time or a bloody death.

There was a noise of rock grinding against rock for a moment and then a shiver of light shined through the dark, revealing a dark god who scowled down at him from above.

"Um... Harry, Harry James Potter... nice to meet you." Harry grin up at the man, equal parts turned on by the combination of that voice with those looks and uneasy because if anyone could deliver on a promise of pain, this was the man to do it. Harry was sure.

Another growl. "And how the fuck did you get in here? There was less than a foot of space between me and that 500 pound rock. It didn't move."

The man stared down at him, head cocked to the side like he was listening for something... though Harry didn't know what

Harry shrugged. "Magic."

There goes the Magical Secrecy Act. Though really, he was who knows how far away from the UK, he was banished from their society and he could give a fuckall about the MSA in light of the way they treated him. So who cared.

It was quiet for a little while as the man continued to stare at him, brow raised and a considering look in his strangely silvery glowing eyes. Finally the man, leaned down and sniffed Harry neck, taking a deep whiff of him. Harry squirmed, back to equal parts turned on and uneasy as he did so.

The man leaned back and stared into Harry's eyes with a smirk. "Huh."

In another quick move that left Harry dizzy, the man flipped them over again. He moved the heavy stone back into place so that all the light was gone once again, before settling down on his back with Harry laying on his chest, wrapped in his muscled arms.

"Huh. That's all your going to go with? And, why are we in here laying like this?" Harry groused as he wiggled to find a better spot.

"Need the rest and it's too dangerous out there for you alone."

Harry huffed at the stoic reply and the implication that he couldn't fuck up anything or anyone who messed with him. He wiggling some more. A slap to his ass had him squeaking and glaring down at the man. "What the bloody hell was that for?"

"Lay down and sleep."

Giving one more huff just to make his displeasure known, Harry settled down, resting his head on the warm and hard yet soft chest, and closed his eyes. He was actually pretty comfortable.

This was odd, really odd. Not in the sense that he didn't understand what was happening, but in the sense that strangely he was kind of okay with it. The man's presence and arms holding him tight were comforting, pulling Harry in and allowing his mind and body to relax after several years of all out war with Voldemort.

Humming, Harry snuggled closer and closed his eyes.

When Harry next opened his eyes, he heard the tell tale sound of the stone being moved and the sunlight began to shine in brightly. Harry didn't know how long they had slept, but his body finally felt well rested and energetic after so long of barely any sleep to tide him over.

The big man rolled Harry over to lay beside him with far more care than he would have expected and then crawled out of the hole, his movements stiff and uneven as he got to his feet. Harry yawned and started to crawl out as well, surprised by the offer of a hand to help him up. Taking it, Harry got to his feet and stretched, humming in contentment once again at the feeling of safety that the man provided him.

"Come on, gotta' go find some water, heat's gonna' dry us out." The man said.

"Hey, what's your name?" Harry said when he realized he couldn't keep on calling him _the man_ in his head.

"Riddick."

"Okay, Riddick... well, you know magic, it's a lot more useful than just me appearing out of nowhere."

This was going to be a little tricky since he hadn't done it wandless before, but he'd been training to do wandless spells for some of the more difficult spells... so a transfiguration and an _aguamenti_ spell couldn't be that hard, right?

Looking around, Harry grabbed a rock from the ground. Holding it in his hand, Harry focused on the rock and pushed his magic into it as he spoke the spell... turning it into a metal canteen. Once that was done, he opened the screw top and pointed his finger down into it, whispering _aguamenti_ and water began filling up the canteen. When it was full he handed it to Riddick and proceeded to make one for himself.

Riddick took the canteen and brought it up to his nose, sniffing it inquisitively. When it passed the test, he brought it to his lips and took a big gulp from it.

"Huh."

"You with the _huhs_," Harry groused playfully as he took a big drink from his own.

"Can ya make food too with your _magic_?" Riddick asked with a smirk.

"Nope, but I can multiply it if you can find a little bit of food and make it stay fresh pretty much forever." Harry smirked back at him.

Raising another eye brown, Riddick turned around and began to walk towards the entrance to the temple, a slight stumble to his steps that indicated an injury.

Walking quickly to Riddick, Harry stopped him and looked down at this leg. "Are you hurt?"

"It's fine, it'll heal." Riddick scowled and tried to walk around him.

"You think magic can make water out of air and turn a rock into metal, but it can't heal as well?" Harry said in annoyance, hands on his hips as he spoke. "Sit down and let me heal it, you idiot."

Riddick growled, but after a moment took a seat on one of the stone pillars that had fallen.

Kneeling on the ground beside him, Harry rolled up Riddick's pants on his left leg and took a look at it. He was shocked to see a metal plate screwed into the man's leg, old blood crusted onto the pins holding it in place and giving support to the no doubt broken bone. It looked like the would might be infected too. Huffing, Harry looked up.

"I need to take out these pins or your leg will heal around it and probably won't work right after it."

Riddick leaned down and pulled the pins from his leg, gritting his teeth, but remaining quiet otherwise.

Harry winced and helped him removed the metal plate. "This is going to hurt, very much."

Wrapping his hand around the leg, Harry closed his eyes and focused on healing the bone. Skelegrow would be better, but in cases like this when a bone needed to be healed quickly, there was a spell that would knit the bone back together, but the pain was similar to the Cruciatus curse. Pain coursed through the nerves in the body as the bone was healed, quickly regrowing, occasionally sending lesser men into a short mental break down, leaving them for years with the ghostly pain of a bone that was force healed.

Riddick once again gritted his teeth, a scream slipping from his lips as the bone snapped into place and in an instant healed the splintered pieces. Breathing deeply, Riddick glared down at Harry.

"I told you it would hurt., stop being a baby. That was the worst of it though." Harry shrugged and then leaned down to placed his hands around the areas where the skin was broken, warm with infection setting in. "_Episkey_."

Once the skin and bone was healed, the warmth of infection gone, Harry smiled. "There all done."

Grunting, Riddick stood and took a few steps, testing out the healed wound.

"Time to go find some food."

Chuckling, Harry followed the man out of the temple and into the hot sun.

* * *

There goes that instinct again. The beast, the animal, inside him rearing up and taking charge. Riddick couldn't quite figure it out, but the boy, more a man than boy, called to him in a way that no one else ever had. There was a scent in the air, subtle, but there, that made Riddick think of a home he'd never once had.

Warm, inviting, arousing, comforting.

Riddick wasn't one for second guessing, so he went with the instinct. The feeling of protectiveness and possession, of security and something more than just arousal was new, but Riddick could work with it. Harry was beautiful in a way that he'd never seen before; strong, capable, sassy, just a little bit vindictive and decked out with a body that made Riddick want to crawl on top of.

The wild black hair, the strange green eyes that seemed to glint in the light even in the grayed out world of his shined eyes. From his plump lips to slim hips and round ass, his tiny frame that fit perfectly in the crooks of Riddick's body... yeah, Riddick could definitely work with this.

Wandering out into the sun, Riddick with Harry hot on his trail, he made his way back to the pool he'd found shortly after he woke up on this world and to the eels that swam within it. In quick work, he had a dozen of the eels laid out on the ground beside him, Harry looking on in fascination as Riddick waited patiently until one swam by and thrust his hand into the water in a lightning fast move to grab it.

"You think they'll taste like chicken?"

Riddick snorted and watched as Harry gathered them up into a newly transformed bag.

On the way back the sulfur and ash in the air got worse, leaving Harry to do something with his magic that left a pocket of clean air around their heads. This magic stuff was more than just handy, it was becoming downright vital.

A whine sounded out into the canyon they were walking through.

"What's that noise?" Harry asked, looking around for the cause.

Riddick listened for it again and when it came, he turned directions and wound them through a few turns in the rock. At last the source of the whine was found, a couple of dead would-be dogs and a pup whining for it's parents.

"Aw, baby, what happened?" Harry knelt down next to the pup and gathered it into his arms.

At the sight of Harry cuddling the dog, murmuring into it's fur, Riddick knew he'd just found one more mouth to feed.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** Sorry for the long delay in posting, I've been a little busy at work and my writing muse has slacked on the job... but, I got another chapter written, so yay! ;-) Hopefully more to come soon!

* * *

Harry was surprised at how naturally things fell into place. How comfortable Harry felt with Riddick and Sirius (Harry couldn't help but name the dog after his godfather, the pup seemed to have the same playful, lovable, mischievous personality); how such a barren planet could feel so much like home.

Several weeks went by as Harry and Riddick acted out a weird courtship that was teeming with sexual tension and intent. Harry didn't know why, but Riddick was deadset on waiting to consummate their relationship and Harry, well Harry, he went with Riddick's gut on it.

It was a weird relationship, made up of instinctual responses and primal communication. Harry knew Riddick was a little more than human, could feel it in the aura around the man, in the animalistic behaviors that always seemed to be just under Riddick's skin. Harry felt an answering call in his magic and in his blood, a feeling that whatever happened, whatever road they traveled together... it was one that they were always destined to take, together.

Harry never imagined that when he was banished he would find someone like Riddick... a man that set fire to his body, who's strange eyes seemed to consume him, who felt like a missing piece of himself all wrapped up in a protective, possessive, dominant, gorgeous man. He'd never really been one to listen to orders, to toe the line and the status quo... he still wasn't, come to think of it... but with Riddick it felt natural to let the man take the lead when it suited Harry, which surprisingly, was fairly often.

Which brings us back to that sexual tension that Riddick was determined to let keep building between them.

It was early morning and as usual, Harry woke nearly on top of Riddick. They hadn't talked about it after the second morning Harry had found himself waking in the same position, but Riddick seemed to feel that the ground and bedding was too hard for Harry and always maneuvered Harry onto his chest shortly after they laid down for the night. Harry's upper body was splayed out on Riddick's chest, his head resting in the curve of the man's neck (breathing in that glorious scent of spice, sweat, something dark and dangerous). Riddick's arms were wrapped around Harry, holding him close, his face nuzzled into Harry's hair and their legs tangled together on the threadbare animal skins they used as a bed.

As was also usual, Sirius was snuggled up to their legs, splayed out like an animal without a care in the world. The would-be dog's feet twitched and flexed here and there, no doubt caught in a dream, chasing his prey with mischievous glee.

"Morning," Riddick murmured, his voice deep and gravelly, a perfect combination of sleep and the natural tone that always seemed to make Harry shiver in delight.

Harry hummed in contentment and pressed his body just a little bit closer to Riddick, if that was at all possible, nuzzling into the soft skin around Riddick's throat and mouthing it lazily, capturing the tangy taste on the man's skin with his tongue. Riddick growled playfully, sending another shiver down Harry's spine, and turned them over so that the much bigger man could loom over Harry in a predatory way.

Riddick grinned down at Harry, chuckling softly when Harry let a whine of need slip from his lips, then he leaned down and caught Harry's lips in a fiery kiss that promised so much pleasure when they finally got around to actually going past the heavy petting stage. Harry felt Riddick slip between his thighs, resting perfectly in the vee his legs made, their erections rubbing teasingly together as Riddick rolled his hips down against Harry's.

Gasping, Harry wrapped his arms around Riddick's neck and pulled the man back down for another all consuming kiss, already knowing that Riddick was going to want to get up in just a second to start their day.

Not even a minute later, both of them panting heavily and incredibly hard, Riddick gave Harry one more kiss; it was soft and warm, full of not only the promise of pleasure, but filled with the emotions that the man struggled to convey to Harry.

Finally, Riddick rolled out of the bed of furs and to his feet, absently ruffling Sirius' head when the dog woke up and barked playfully at him.

The morning went much like usual, they ate their breakfast, explored the safe areas around them and hunted for food. Riddick was determined to make sure that they survived, even in the harsh environment they lived in.

Of course, Riddick wasn't satisfied with the scraps they had... living on the eels with a few hardy plants that survived the climate and the water that Harry was able to create. Riddick told him that Harry needed more, Riddick needed to provide more (there goes those primal, instinctual urges that seemed to lay just under the skin), and so he'd begun looking for new ways to keep them alive.

It was because of this that Riddick found out that just over the mountain range they were in, past the deep puddles where the creatures with the deadly venom and vicious tails lived, there was so much more.

Green grass, clear air, animals a plenty... they just had to get past the reptile-like predators and they were on to greener pastures.

Turns out that those creatures, Harry had no idea what to call them... they were ugly reptile-like beasts on two legs with a fat ass and a wicked tail that housed a large pincher and an odd ability to try and lull/confuse their would-be victims. Anyways, turns out that whatever scales that the creatures had on their skins, well it was resistant to magic. Wasn't that just bloody perfect. And, along with the creatures being resistant to magic, it seemed that the planet he'd been banished to was also made of different materials, heavier gravity and it made it impossible for him to apparate. Well, not impossible, but the one and only time he did it the day after he arrived on the planet, he'd felt like his insides were being crushed the entire time he'd been apparating. Afterwards, it took him several days to recover from the bruises (both inside and out). Harry could only imagine the injuries he'd get from apparating with Riddick and Sirius in tow.

Because of this, Riddick took it upon himself to build up a tolerance for the paralyzing venom the creatures used to disable their prey, so that he could take on the creatures, kill the ones blocking their path and get them over the mountain ridge that separated them from a better way of life. He insisted that Harry stay back, let Riddick protect in this, glaring at Harry as the younger man rolled his eyes in amusement... but let the older man have his way, for now.

It took several weeks of Riddick forcefully injecting the venom into his body and then having Harry slowly heal him, allowing his body to grow a tolerance for it. Harry didn't like it and at first had flat-out told Riddick he wasn't going to do it, but the stupid prat just went and did it the first time without telling Harry. It was his magic that alerted him that something was wrong, Harry could feel a deep sense of unease crawl up his spine, Sirius whining pitifully next to him... and Harry had just known. He'd abandoned the bit of "gardening" he'd been doing to help the plants they lived off of to grow healthy and had run back towards the temple ruins that they had been living in.

He'd found Riddick passed out on their bed, a small pincher from one of the baby creatures was clasped loosely in Riddick hand, a small trail of blood bleeding from the puncture mark in the man's leg. Harry had cursed Riddick out and glared at his lover for two days, so angry with him for nearly killing himself. Riddick had been equal parts determined to keep doing it despite Harry's feelings on the matter and placating, trying to convince Harry that he couldn't just allow them to continue to just survive in this barren place... that he needed to do more to ensure that he took care of Harry the way he should be.

It was times like that, when Riddick's actions were clearly steeped in whatever animalistic instinct that was locked in his DNA, that Harry couldn't help but answer back in kind. His magic directing him, guiding him, pointing the way; allowing Harry to not only understand where Riddick was coming from, but provide the right responses in return. It was clear that Riddick wasn't human, some alien or magical creature that was far more feral and animalistic than your average human... and even though Harry lacked that same lineage, his magic made up for it and allowed Harry to create whatever bond that sprang up between those of Riddick's kind.

So, reluctantly, Harry stood by and let Riddick slowly build a tolerance to the venom, but he was there every step of the way. Carefully keeping watch and doing his best to help Riddick's body do its work and to keep him safe when the bloody idiot had to go and get more venom to inject into his body.

It was on the tenth try that Riddick's body started actively working against the venom right from the start, allowing Riddick to stay awake and in control of his body, despite the high dosage of venom he'd had running through his veins. He didn't pass out once and within just an hour any lingering effects from the venom was gone.

"Think it's time," Riddick said once the venom was completely gone.

"Guess so," Harry sighed and then raised his head up from where he had it resting on Riddick's chest to glare at the man. "But, you better be careful, if you die I'll be very put out."

Riddick grinned and kissed Harry softly. "Deal."

* * *

The next morning they packed up the meager possessions they had acquired while living on the barren planet. Sirius, catching on to the fact that something was happening, was excitedly running around the room picking up items to "help" and running away with them when Riddick or Harry tried to pack them... generally causing more trouble than actually helping.

Finally, when they had everything stowed away in the bottomless bag Harry had magic'd into existence, they made their way towards the pits and the creatures that lived in the murky water.

Harry stood a ways away from the pits at Riddick's insistence, but close enough to actually do something if Riddick needed his help.

Riddick walked towards the pools of water, a large bone in his hand to use as a weapon, and generally made a big nuisance of himself by making as much noise as he could.

A tail emerged from the water, hissing and snapping its pincher as Riddick moved closer to it.

"Come on, show me some teeth." Riddick smirked.

He stomped his feet in the shallow waters again, slapped his thigh in invitation and after a while the creature that stood in the way of them leaving slowly rose from the water.

Harry sucked in his breath at the ugly creature as it waddled weirdly on two feet, its large ass sticking out with a long pincher tail and its equally large head. It stood over four feet tall and was just as long. It finally took Riddick's invitation to try and bite him, sinking it's venomous fangs into Riddick's thigh, oblivious to the fact that it just sealed its fate.

Riddick grinned through the pain and allowed the blade hidden within the bone to unfold, and in three solid hits the creature's head was severed from its body. Riddick stuck the bone blade in the ground and looked at his thigh.

Harry sighed in relief as the creature's body slid back into the water, walking towards where Riddick was pulling the creatures fangs, still attached to its head, from his thigh. He threw the head into the water and turned to Harry, a smile on his face. Sirius stood not to far away, barking excitedly at the baby creatures in a nearby pool. Harry turned and called him over, not wanting the pup to get bit.

It was as Harry turned back to Riddick that he saw another tail emerged from the pool of water... this one much larger than the other.

Riddick, seeing Harry's face, turned back around and just barely jumped out of the way of the tail as it thrust forward, its pincher snapping ferociously as he tried to get Riddick. The rest of the creature appeared from the water, twice as large as the one Riddick had killed and with a few jabs of the tail, sent Riddick sailing through the air to careen into a nearby rock. That was when Harry decided enough was enough.

Harry pulled the sword he'd transfigured a while back from his bag and ran towards where Riddick was fighting the creature after he'd gotten back up. Harry started hacking away at the creature's body, wounding it in vital areas that while not killing it, certainly slowed it down. Harry dodged the tail and chopped one of its legs off, grinning as the creature shrieked in pain.

Riddick, taking the shot that Harry had opened for him, grabbed the bone blade and ran forwards, sliding onto his knees across the water and under the large behemoth. His sharp blade sliced through the delicate underbelly of the creature, allowing its intestines to spill out on the ground below, only for the creature to start attacking the intestines and eating it.

Harry grimaced and grabbed Sirius while the creature was distracted and ran pass it, Sirius barking madly at the creature the whole way.

Riddick grabbed Harry once he'd reached safety and ran his hands over Harry's body, looking for injuries with a concerned face.

"I'm fine, the thing didn't even come at all the close to me." Harry huffed, but allowed Riddick to continue checking.

Once Riddick assured himself that Harry was fine he pulled him closer and nuzzled into his neck, making that low huffing noise that told Harry that he was scenting him. Finally, Riddick pulled back and growled.

"Told you to stay back."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Did you really expect me to just stand by and watch you get killed? I know it hasn't escaped your notice, I'm actually quite capable of not only protecting myself, but helping in a fight as well."

Riddick huffed and mumbled about his stubborn mate and then grabbed Harry's hand, climbing up and through the passage ways to slowly make their way through the seemingly endless mountain range.

It took a few days, but they finally made it to the other side and when they did Harry couldn't help but grin. The mountains gave way to a valley floor filled with fields of grass, trees with fruit and nuts, animals grazing of many varieties. It had clear air and sunny skies, and Harry kind of loved it.

"You're right, this was a good idea."

"Told ya'," Riddick smirked and pulled Harry in for a deep kiss.


End file.
